The invention relates to the field of rapid bioluminescence detection systems, in particular to rapid and very sensitive bioluminescence detection systems for detecting the activity of reporter kinases. Bioluminescent assays, devices, and kits for detecting the activity of reporter kinases are also provided.
The use of kinases as reporter enzymes has been described in the art. By way of example, the present inventors have described the use of reporter kinases in diagnostic systems for detecting the presence of an analyte in a sample (see WO00/46357), and also in systems for validating the effectiveness of decontamination processes (see WO2005/093085). The activity of these reporter kinases is typically detected using an ATP bioluminescence system (e.g. luciferin-luciferase), which generates a light output signal. The light output generated is measured using a luminometer, and these measurements are then correlated with the amount of kinase activity.
A potential problem associated with reporter kinase systems is the length of time required to obtain the output signal. To date, the typical time required to obtain an output signal ranges from 30 minutes to several hours. There is thus a need in the art for a quicker and/or simplified reporter system.